


Uneven Odds

by endlessblankpages



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Dad!Cor, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-15 07:46:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18069410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/endlessblankpages/pseuds/endlessblankpages
Summary: After years of being forced to attend separate schools, Prompto is finally given permission to meet Prince Noctis. However, an immediate misunderstanding leaves their friendship fraught with uncertainty. Now, Prompto must do the hardest thing he's ever done in his life--tell the truth about his past, before they find out.





	Uneven Odds

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! It's been a while. Here's my take on Prompto and Dad!Cor.  
> I've been sitting on this fic for almost a year. I kept meaning to revise it a bit more, but since that doesn't look likely at the moment I decided to go ahead an post it.  
> Hopefully everyone enjoys it!

It was past curfew when Prompto snuck in, climbing over the fence into his backyard with stealth skills worthy of a ninja— in his estimation, at least. He slunk silently toward the back door and opened it with a minimal amount of creaking.

Cor kept the door hinges squeaky on purpose, Prompto was sure. The man was the walking definition of paranoia, which was probably part of why he had his infamous title.

He and Cor had an arrangement. If he could sneak into the house without alerting Cor, he wouldn’t be in trouble. Prompto had been positively gleeful at the pronouncement — until he remembered that his dad was Cor the Immortal.

He hadn’t managed to sneak past him once.

Tonight would be different though. Prompto wasn’t sure if Cor was even home and playing Assassins Creed with Noct till two in the morning must have increased his stealth level, right? They’d been running around doing parkour for hours on end all week. They’d even snuck up on a deeply unamused Ignis. Keeping up with Noct was no small thing, so Prompto was feeling pretty pleased with himself.

It was that overconfidence that got him in the end. As he tiptoed past the kitchen and hustled silently to the stairs, he felt a surge of giddiness and leaped over the couch, feeling like a total badass.

Until he landed on his skateboard and crashed to the ground with a yelp. He hit his head on the back of the coach, then the floor, The skateboard crashed into the side of the staircase, knocking over a lamp with a noisy crash.

For a moment he lay there on the cold wood floor, stunned. Head throbbing and body aching, he stared at the ceiling, contemplating the absurdity of the situation. He’d been so close. He wondered what Noct’s reaction would be tomorrow when he told him and burst out laughing.

Footsteps descended the stairs, purposefully noisy. A light flickered on, revealing an unimpressed Cor. He was in his pajamas and his hair was messy, so he must have been asleep when Prompto came in.

Prompto just laughed harder, clutching his aching sides. “Hi.”

“Do I even want to know?” Cor asked, crossing his arms.

“Probably not,” Prompto answered blithely, sitting up with a groan. He stumbled to his feet and shuffled over to pick up his skateboard. He ran a hand over the indent the skateboard had left on the wall and sighed. “I almost made it, huh?”

Cor rolled his eyes and started back up the stairs with a yawn. “Next time don’t go through the kitchen door. It squeaks.”

“Man,” Prompto sighed, then chuckled at himself. “One of these days.”

“Keep telling yourself that, kid,” Cor waited for him at the top of the stairs, eyeing him up and down. “You can think of something suitable for punishment, I assume?”

“Yeah, yeah. Your bathroom needs cleaning.” Prompto reached Cor’s side and bumped against him.

“Use the toothbrush under my sink,” Cor wrapped an arm around Prompto and poked him in the side, checking for injuries. “So you have plenty of time to think about the foolishness of trying to sneak past the Immortal.”

Prompto glanced up at him and arched an eyebrow. “Don’t you mean the foolishness of sneaking in past curfew?”

“Sure,” Cor’s lips quirked in amusement. “Night, kid.”

“Night Dad,” Prompto gave him a quick hug and disappeared into his room.

He tossed his skateboard down in an unused corner of his room where he wouldn’t trip on it in the morning and flopped down on his bed. He covered his mouth with his arm and smiled happily, mind filled with friendship, warmth, and Assassin’s Creed.

***

Growing up with the Immortal was nothing at all like people would have imagined. The guy was one of the fiercest warriors alive and hands down the coolest person in the world, but Prompto got to live with him. Cor the Immortal, the man who changed his diapers as a baby and read books on combat strategy to him until he fell asleep. Cor the Immortal, the man who’d run a background check on his first crush. And Prompto’s entire elementary school class when he’d had an overnight field trip. He was also addicted to soap operas and procedural shows; pointing out mistakes and inaccuracies was a favorite pastime of his.

Parent-teacher conferences were always interesting. Prompto had dreaded them as a child, but now that he was older he was beginning to appreciate the look on his teachers’ faces when they saw Cor walk in— something between being utterly star struck and absolute, complete terror at the sight of him. It was hilarious!

Some nights, when Cor had a really bad nightmare, Prompto would drag out his comforter and settle on the couch next to him. They’d watch old cartoon reruns and fall asleep leaning against each other. They never talked about the nightmares that plagued them both. The silent companionship was enough.

In a strange way, Prompto loved those nights. They were much better than the alternative—Cor tossing and turning in bed, trapped in his memories.

And all that was just scratching the surface. There were hundreds of little quirks and odd habits that no one else got to see. King Regis and Lord Clarus knew many of them, but Prompto got to see a side of Cor they never did—Dad Cor. Domestic Cor. Who could be decidedly uncool at times.

“You have cereal on your chin,” Cor said, grabbing a dish towel and rubbing the scratchy material all over Prompto’s face.

“Dad—Dad! I’m not three anymore,” Prompto groused, giving Cor a shove. “Geez.”

He was positive Cor did that that sort of thing just to get a rise from him. Embarrassing Prompto was another favorite pastime of his.

Cor hovered over Prompto a moment longer with narrowed eyes before returning to cleaning the dishes. “Got any plans today after you clean my bathroom?”

“Uhh, homework?” Prompto asked, then winced. He could practically feel Cor’s eyes narrow, even though his back was to him. “Probably hit the arcade with Noctis if I finish fast enough. Why?”

“I was thinking we could go to the Citadel together,” Cor said, placing the last of the dirty dishes onto the dry rack. “Explain everything in person, so it’s a little easier for you.”

Prompto stared down at his cereal and absently pushed the wheat flakes around his bowl with his spoon. “I dunno…”

“Prompto, I know this is hard for you, but if you don’t tell him he’s going to figure it out himself,” Cor said, turning to face him. “You trust him, don’t you?”

“Of course I do!” Prompto answered defensively. “It’s just that… you didn’t hear them. And I don’t want him to think differently about me. I finally have a friend and telling him…”

Sighing softly, Cor scratched his head and sat down across from Prompto. “It’s okay if you don’t trust him. You don’t have to tell him yet, but… he will find out, Prompto.”

“I know,” Prompto chewed on his lip. “Just… I need some time. I’m not sure how to explain it to him. I’ve never had to before.”

“I’m not trying to pressure you,” Cor said, leaning back in the chair and relaxing his near-perfect posture just slightly. “I hope whatever happens, this works out for you. You need a friend as much as the prince does.”

Prompto stared down at his soggy cereal and rubbed his nose, trying to imagine telling Noct the truth. He winced.

“Maybe I don’t entirely trust him,” Prompto said slowly, finishing the last of his cereal thoughtfully. “I’ve been so terrified of anyone finding out for so long that the idea of him knowing—and the things he’s already said! You should have heard him, Dad, it was like all my insecurities were coming out of his mouth.”

Cor held up a hand. “To be fair to the prince, that was my fault. I’ve been so focused on keeping you safe and hidden away that I didn’t update them on your development. For a while, it felt like every time I mentioned you they’d think of some new concern or test they wanted to run, so I stopped. The prince honestly didn’t know any better. None of them do.”

“Yeah,” Prompto said. “I don’t blame you for any of that, you know. It hasn’t been easy for you either.”

Over the years since Cor had adopted Prompto, there had been an invisible distance between him and his friends. If someone else had adopted if Prompto and he’d been out of their attention, perhaps it would have been different. But as it was, Prompto’s presence in Cor’s life had meant additional security precautions—like never being allowed in the Citadel, or invited over for the frequent barbeques at Amicita home. Having to go to a different school than the prince. Not knowing the children of Cor’s best friends.

“Things might have been easier for you if I hadn’t adopted you,” Cor said, eyes distant.

“Hey,” Prompto stood and grabbed his school bag before walking over to Cor’s side and wrapping an arm around him. “I wouldn’t trade you for the world. You’re stuck with me, like it or not.

Besides, who wants an easy, normal life?”

Cor smiled and ruffled Prompto’s hair. “Not us, apparently.”

“You know it! Gotta run. See you tonight for dinner?” Prompto asked, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter and dashing for the door.

“Yeah. Try to stay out of trouble!” Cor called out, standing up to put away the dishes.

“When do I ever get into trouble?” Prompto asked with a laugh, waving goodbye as he left through the kitchen door.

Cor sighed. “You always say that and then you always go and get yourself into trouble.”

Still, Cor wouldn’t have it any other way.

***

Prompto met Prince Noctis the first day of high school, and somehow a miracle happened because they clicked. Within five minutes of knowing each other, Prompto had his arm slung over the prince’s shoulder and they were talking about King’s Knights like they had known each other for years.

He’d never had that happen with anyone before, and he was pretty sure the same was true for Noctis.

It felt so good to make a friend, an actual, real friend. Since meeting, they’d spent pretty much all their free time together. Going to the arcades, playing video games at Noct’s newly acquired apartment, goofing around in the parks, fishing, even doing homework. They were basically inseparable.

But Prompto still hadn’t told Noctis who he was.

The thing was, no one outside of the king’s close-knit circle knew Cor the Immortal had a son. It was a tightly kept secret in the Citadel since Prompto would be a target for assassination or kidnapping.

Noctis, Ignis, and Gladiolus hadn’t been a part of that group until about a month before high school started, because Prompto wasn’t just Cor’s son, he was the baby Cor had rescued from Niflheim. He was a clone, an MT— or more accurately, he would have become an MT if Cor hadn’t found him.

King Regis had been concerned about Prompto, so he had set measures to ensure that Prompto and Noctis never met. The measures had finally removed right before high school, thanks to Cor. And finally, finally, Prompto could fulfill the promise he’d made all those years ago.

He’d met Noctis. Now, he just had to introduce himself. Really introduce himself, as Prompto Leonis, instead of Prompto Argentum.

And he had been going to. He really, really had been. But then Noctis had offered to give him a ride home and his world had crashed down around him.

Everything had been going swimmingly; Ignis had surprised to see Prompto and slightly cautious at the sight of him with the prince, but he had been the epitome of politeness.

Prompto had been working up the courage to say something, but Ignis beat him to it.

“Did you meet him?” Ignis asked, glancing at Noctis through the rearview mirror.

“No,” Noctis answered with a shrug. “I looked around for anyone robot looking, but didn’t see him. He’s probably not in my class.”

“Well, I’m sure he will approach you in time. The Marshal seemed to think he wanted to meet you,” Ignis said, reaching up with one hand to adjust his glasses.

“I don’t know why he’s allowed in school. I mean, he’s not really a real person, is he? He’s just an MT,” Noctis said, unaware of the horrified expression on Prompto’s face.

“Be kind when you meet him,” Ignis said, before redirecting his attention. “Are you alright, Prompto?”

No, he was not. He felt physically sick from anxiety, heart pounding in his chest. Tears traitorously stung his eyes. “I—I just remembered I have to do something. You can drop me off here.”

Noctis turned to him, frowning. Concern and disappointment flashed in his eyes. “We can take you wherever you need to go--”

“No, it’s okay. If—if you can just pull over here, that’s fine,” Prompto bolted out of the car the moment Ignis pulled over. “I—I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Noctis said, staring at Prompto in confusion. Hurt shined in his eyes and his face was so closed off it made Prompto cringe. “Tomorrow.”

“I really have to go,” Prompto said, wringing his hands. “Sorry. I’ll make it up to you, promise.”

Something in Noctis’ face relaxed slightly. “No problem. See you later.”

“See you,” Prompto said, shutting the car door and taking off running.

He ran all the way home, the words ‘not real’ echoing over and over in his head like a broken record. He arrived just in time to throw up in the kitchen sink.

The next day, he went to school and greeted Noctis as if nothing had happened.

But he didn’t tell Noctis who he was.

***

If Prompto was being honest with himself, he felt a little angry at the whole situation. Telling someone should have been his choice, not something forced on him.

Cor hadn’t overly questioned him on why he wanted to go to that particular high school. Noctis’ school was the best in Insomnia, so from an educational standpoint it made sense for him to go there; Prompto got good grades and his college applications would look much better if he graduated there.

He was pretty sure no one would object to his real reason to attend the school, since the Oracle herself had asked Prompto to befriend the prince, but… he didn’t want anyone to think Prompto was only trying to be the prince’s friend because of the letter. Noctis especially. He deserved better than that.

So, since Prompto hadn’t been able to step foot in the Citadel, much less attend school with the prince, Cor had talked to the king.

Cor wouldn’t tell Prompto what the conversation had entailed. He’d insisted that it had been a conversation long overdue, and that everything was fine, but Prompto got the impression it hadn’t been pretty. Prompto just hoped that clearing the air had been good for their friendship.

But the king had agreed and everything had been looking up. Until that awful car ride.

Cor found out after the first day of school that the king had talked to Noctis about Prompto— he’d told Noctis about Prompto’s origins, who his Dad was, everything. Everything but his name, apparently, since Noctis didn’t recognize him the first day of school. Or maybe he thought there were two Prompto’s in school— one a robot and the other his new, nerdy best friend.

Either way, Noctis would figure it out, eventually. Prompto could either tell him now and get it over with, or wait for the other shoe to drop. He honestly wasn’t sure which was worse.

It’d only been two months since they’d started high school and Prompto could honestly say that Noct was his best friend. It might have been a little strange considering it absolutely terrified

Prompto that he’d eventually have to tell Noct the truth, but it was true.

“Hey, Prompto, want to come watch me train after school?” Noctis asked, glancing up from dumping all his veggies onto Prompto’s plate. Noctis had been foisting them on Prompto during lunch since their second day of school. “We could rope Gladio into playing King’s Knight after.”

“Ooh, yes! I could take pictures,” Prompto grinned, just imagining the challenge of photographing a fight. “Will you be warping? Wait— Can I even take pictures without getting thrown in the dungeons for treason?”

Noctis snorted. “Why does your mind automatically go to being tossed in the dungeons? Photographing the prince without permission is a day or two in the stocks, obviously.”

“Oh, obviously,” Prompto shoveled some food into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “So will you? Be warping that is.”

“Sure,” Noctis shrugged, still poking at his food. “But I doubt you’ll be able to get a good shot. It’s pretty fast.”

“Leave it to me! I’ve been working on shooting fast moving objects lately,” Prompto choked on his food as his brain caught up with the words that had just flown out of his mouth. “With my camera, and uh, shutter speed.”

“Thanks for the clarification,” Noctis said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. His lips were twitching into a smile, and he looked much more relaxed than when Prompto had first met him. “You can hitch a ride with me and Ignis, then.”

“Cool, cool—wait,” Prompto groaned. “I totally forgot! I have to clean my Dad’s bathroom.”

“Uh…” Noctis’ nose wrinkled in confusion. “It can wait, can’t it?”

“It’s kind of punishment for trying to sneak in past curfew,” Prompto said, then quickly explained how he’d tripped and fallen on the skateboard. Noctis laughed like Prompto thought he would, which was totally worth the bruises. “So, I kinda have to do that first. With a toothbrush.”

“Is that normal punishment? Why didn’t he just ground you instead?” Noctis was staring at him wide eyed, as if he thought cleaning was a cruel and unusual punishment.

“It could’ve been a lot worse. I think he thought the skateboard thing was funny,” Prompto glanced at the clock on the other side of the room and tried to eat faster without being a total slob in front of the crown prince. “I guess I could come over for an hour or two, but after that I’ll have to book it back home.”

Brightening considerably, Noctis finished his food just as the school bell rang for their next period. Prompto inhaled the rest of his food and packed up his lunch box.

Maybe this won’t be so bad. Prompto thought, allowing himself to feel slightly optimistic. It might be nice for someone else to know. Maybe.

Now he just needed to find the right way to tell him.

***

The tattoo had been on Prompto’s wrist for as long as he could remember.

Cor had given him some vague information, but had waited until Prompto got older to go into specifics. The truth was traumatizing by itself, but the way Prompto had finally found out had only made things worse. Someone had stolen the chance to explain everything to Prompto from Cor during a disastrous doctor's appointment when Prompto had been eight.

It was then that Cor stopped mentioning Prompto around King Regis and Clarus. It was also around the time that Prompto had withdrawn from other people and struggle with overeating.

He’d had nightmares almost every night for months after that doctor's appointment. Cor sued the doctor responsible and raised hell over the whole situation, but the damage had been done.

Prompto had been twelve when he’d finally dared to ask Cor for more information about his origins. In a lot of ways, Prompto wished he’d asked Cor immediately after the whole fiasco with the doctor; the truth of the MT program was still horrifying, but learning the story from someone who cared about him might have helped.

Cor had been on a top-secret mission to Niffleheim, when he’d stumbled onto a baby. The baby hadn’t cried, or made any noise at all as Cor approached him. Cor hadn’t known much about babies but he’d sensed the bone-jarring wrongness of the silence and approached.

“You smiled,” Cor had said, something far off and so bittersweet in his expression that Prompto had looked away. “When I picked you up, you smiled. I knew then I couldn’t leave you there— mission be damned.”

Cor had fumbled his way through the trip home with the awkwardness only a man who’d never held a baby before could have, but he’d learned fast. Prompto surviving the trip was a miracle and a lot of stubbornness on Cor’s part, but they made it.

Once back in Lucis, they had poked and prodded him until they were satisfied that he wasn’t a ticking time bomb. The tests didn’t reveal much about MTs, but they had been enough to get him cleared for adoption.

They just hadn’t expected Cor to adopt him.

“Yes!!” Prompto whooped, staring at the crisp, clear image of Noctis warping at Gladio on his camera’s viewer.

His timing for the shout was kind of unfortunate though; Gladio flipped Noctis flat on his back right as the words left Prompto’s mouth.

“Who’s side are you on?” Noctis groused, lying breathless on the freshly mowed grass of the Amictia’s backyard.

“Sorry,” Prompto said, a little too excited about his picture to sound apologetic. “I totally got an awesome shot!”

“Really?” Noctis said with genuine interest, sitting up with a groan. “Lemme see.”

Prompto sprang over eagerly and collapsed next to him on the grass. “See? Told you I’m good.”

“Not bad,” Gladio said, hovering just over Prompto’s shoulder. “So, Prompto is it? What makes you think you’d be a good friend to the prince?”

“Gladio,” Noctis leaned back slightly to shoot his Shield a warning glance. “He is my friend.”

“Answer the question,” Gladio crossed his arms and stared down at Prompto expectantly.

“Uhhh…” Prompto crossed his legs and tilted his head, thinking. “I can totally make him laugh. And I eat his vegetables.”

Case in point, Noctis snorted.

“Not sure you’re doing him a favor there,” Gladio said, eyeing Noctis curiously. “What would you do if he was in danger?”

“I’d protect him,” Prompto responded automatically, which proved to be the wrong thing to say when Noctis winced. “Not that I’d really need to. I mean, the dude’s awesome!”

“You’d probably just get in his way and be a liability,” Gladio said, something dark crossing his face. “Wanting to protect your prince is a noble goal, but you’re a civilian. You’d just get yourself killed, and him along with you. If he’s just a prince to you--”

“Gladio--” Noctis shot to his feet defensively, but Prompto cut him off.

“If one of my friends was in danger, I’d protect them, prince or not,” Prompto said, scratching his head. “I know I kind of like a dumb chocobo, but I’ve had some training in self-defense. I can take care of myself.”

Both Noctis and Gladio arched an eyebrow.

“I do! I have moves,” Prompto huffed, flapping a hand around to demonstrate. “I totally had moves last night, right Noct?”

“You did manage to keep up with me,” Noctis said, frowning thoughtfully. “Impressive now that I think about it.”

Gladio glanced between them. “Last night?”

“Parkour.” Prompto and Noctis said in unison. They fist bumped.

“Well, if you’ve got the moves, why don’t we spar?” Gladio asked, grinning. “I’ll go easy on you.”

“Oh no, no, no, no,” Noctis shook his head and latched onto Prompto’s arm. “I just got him, you can’t break him already!”

“Uh, I’m not a toy, dude,” Prompto laughed nervously as Noctis wrapped his arms around him like an overeager octopus.

“C’mon, he looks pretty scrappy. He’ll spring right back,” Gladio chuckled, slapping Prompto on the shoulder.

Prompto stumbled into Noct and winced, rubbing his shoulder. “Ow.”

“Look at him! He’s a twig,” Noctis retorted, shoving Gladio back a step.

“Dude, so not cool! I’m standing right here,” Prompto said, shifting self-consciously. “Besides, it’s not like I’d need to be a walking six-pack like the big guy here to take him down.”

He winced the second the words left his mouth. Big mistake. Big, big, big mistake.

They both stared at Prompto in disbelief. Noctis slapped a hand to his face and groaned as Gladio burst out laughing.

“You’ve got spunk, kid, I’ll give you that... Let’s go then,” Gladio jerked his head to the side and walked back into the space he’d been sparring with Noctis in. “No chickening out now.”

“Prompto…” Noctis stared searchingly at him for a moment, then clapped him on the back. “Been nice knowing you.”

Chuckling nervously, Prompto handed over his camera and phone to Noctis, who put the camera strap around his neck. “Speak well of me when I’m gone,” He said dramatically.

“Where’d all that confidence go?” Gladio asked, expression stern but eyes twinkling.

“My self-preservation is kicking in. Better late than never, right?” Prompto said, scrutinizing Gladio thoughtfully.

Gladio was a huge, muscly mountain and Prompto was a tiny, breakable twig. The size difference was ridiculous.

The thing was though, Prompto had muscles. He and Cor had come up with a workout regimen to work with his natural speed and quick reflexes rather than focusing on sheer strength. Not that he wasn’t strong—Prompto’s talents just lay in a different direction.

Prompto would never match Gladio in strength, but he didn’t need to. He had the advantage already and Gladio had given it to him. The big guy just didn’t know it yet.

“Soo… what do we do?” Prompto asked, hopping from one foot to the other. He gestured vaguely at Gladio. “How do we, uh…?”

“You sure you’ve done this before?” Gladio snorted, but he smiled at Prompto in a way that was probably supposed to be reassuring. “Just come at me and try to knock me down. I promise I won’t hit you too hard.”

“Right, right,” Prompto bent down and adjusted his shoelaces to hide his smile. “Okay, uh, here goes?”

Sitting on the edge of the patio, Noctis sighed. “Try not to kill my best friend, Gladio.”

Prompto and Gladio both froze. Gladio turned towards him and stared at Noctis as if he’d never seen him before, expression equal parts shock and amazement.

Noctis’ face burned red with embarrassment and he turned away, missing the way Prompto positively beamed at him.

The blinding grin on Prompto’s face had nothing to do with the upcoming smack down as he turned back to Gladio. “Awww, I’m not going to die. Wouldn’t want to let down my bestie, now would I?”

Lifting his head slightly, Noctis peered at him through the shelter of his thick, dark bangs and smiled almost shyly.

“Okay, come on. Don’t keep me waiting all day to see your ‘moves’ Prompto," Gladio wasn’t being entirely condescending, but there was just enough overconfidence in his eyes to ensure his own defeat.

“Right, here goes nothing,” Prompto inhaled sharply, shifted his stance and charged forward.

He tensed, preparing for Prompto to try to tackle him. But whatever Gladio had been expecting, it wasn’t for Prompto to charge at him head on. It also wasn’t for Prompto to change direction last second and sweep Gladio’s feet out from under him.

“Timber!” Prompto called, grinning at the flabbergasted expression on Gladio’s face.

Gladio rolled back onto his feet in an instant, sprang toward Prompto, and swung his fist at him. “Not bad, kid!”

Sidestepping the fist with ease, Prompto grabbed hold of Gladio’s elbow and used the momentum of the swing to flip Gladio onto the ground.

“Geez!” Prompto exclaimed, rubbing a hand against his back. “I think I just broke something.”

“Prompto, that was awesome!” Noctis ran over to him excitedly. “Shows you, Gladio.”

“Yeah, you got me, kid. Next time you come over we’ll spar for real,” Gladio said, allowing the two younger boys to pull him to his feet. “I won’t underestimate you next time.”

“I’ll be pushing up daisies for reals then,” Prompto said with a laugh. “You could probably take me with one punch.”

“Assuming he’s able to hit you,” Noctis chimed in, slinging an arm around his shoulder. “You’re pretty fast.”

“You staying for dinner, chocobo boy?” Gladio asked, stretching his arms out in the air.

“Dinner?” Prompto repeated, glancing at his watch. “Gah! The bathroom! Sorry guys, I gotta run.”

“We could give you a ride--” Noctis started, handing Prompto his phone and camera back.

“It’s fine, it’s only a ten-minute run,” Prompto grabbed his backpack and ran towards the fence that would take him out to the street. “Later!”

“At least go out the front door—and he’s gone,” Noctis chuckled, watching Prompto spring over the fence with ease.

Gladio walked over next to him and lightly cuffed him on the arm. “Best friend, huh?”

“It’s true,” Noctis said defensively. “Come on, let’s play King’s Knight. Prompto’s five levels ahead of me.”

***

Cor brought home takeout right as Prompto finished cleaning the bathroom. They ate the food on the couch with their feet propped up on the coffee table as Prompto told him all about the brief spar with Gladio.

“Sounds like you gave him a much-needed reminder not to underestimate anyone,” Cor said, absently flipping through the channels for something to watch. “Even someone as shrimpy looking as you.”

“Gee, thanks,” Prompto kicked at Cor’s feet. “You should have seen Gladio’s face when Noct said I was his best friend. Priceless! Wish I could’ve caught it with my camera.”

Throwing his dirty napkins in the empty takeout bag, Cor eyed Prompto silently for a moment. Then, he leaned back against the worn leather couch cushions and pressed a kiss to the crown of Prompto’s head.

“What was that for?” Prompto asked, scooting a little closer and resting his head on Cor’s shoulder.

“Do I need a reason?” Cor shot back, draping a quilt over their legs. “Is this that show you were telling me about? The one with the robo kittens?”

“Uh, first of all, they’re obviously lions,” Prompto said, digging his phone out of his pocket to text Noctis something. “And they’re awesome.”

They watched the show for a while, Cor asking Prompto questions and Prompto trying to explain the concept of the show, and the characters, and the previous episodes without spoiling everything.

“The combat in this show is so unrealistic,” Cor said, shaking his head. “These guys are such bad shots it’s embarrassing.”

“It’s a cartoon, Dad,” Prompto rolled his eyes and texted Noctis a cat meme. “It’s not supposed to be realistic.”

Grumbling something under his breath, Cor pulled out his own phone and started reading the news, his attention drifting.

“Hey… if I told Noctis, and he—doesn’t, uh, react well,” Prompto licked his lips and stared down at his phone. “What would happen?”

Wordlessly turning down the TV, Cor shifted a little so that he was facing Prompto. “Well, not much. You would probably stop spending time together, which would be unfortunate but for the best if he truly didn’t take it well. That’s about it. My respect for the prince would take a nosedive— and I don’t just say that as your father.”

Prompto frowned. “Dad--”

“There are many refugees and immigrants in Lucis. If he can’t overlook his prejudices about someone’s place of birth and origins, then he’s not the young man I think he is,” Cor said firmly.

“But, ultimately he’d be losing more than my respect. He’d be losing the best friend he could have.”

Sucking in a breath, Prompto nodded shakily. “So, I wouldn’t be thrown in prison or hauled off to a lab somewhere?”

“Prompto,” Cor sighed. Ran a hand through his hair. “None of those things are going to happen. But even if they did—if you were falsely imprisoned, or… taken to a lab... I’d bust you out. Period.”

Grinning slightly, Prompto tilted his head back so he could see Cor better. “Really?”

“Really,” Cor promised, staring down at him solemnly. “Duty or no, if anyone ever…”

“Well,” Prompto cleared his throat, surprised at the emotions shining in Cor’s eyes. He tried not to think much about the fact that it must have been a legitimate concern of Cor’s in order for him to react that way. “Good thing that’s not going to happen, right?”

“Right,” Cor agreed, wrapping an arm around Prompto’s shoulder.

“Though having you bust me out would be kind of epic,” Prompto muttered, forcing his overactive imagination to stop dreaming up different scenarios of Noct rejecting him.

“Only you, kid,” Cor said, ruffling his hair. “Now, why is that character suddenly purple?”

Grinning, Prompto grabbed a pillow and curled up on the couch with his feet resting on Cor’s lap. “You’d understand if you just watched it.”

They argued about rewinding the episode instead of having Prompto explain everything, but ended up switching the channel to one of Cor’s favorite procedural shows. Prompto went upstairs to get his homework and worked on it on the couch, occasionally pausing for to Cor griping about inaccuracies.

All thoughts of telling Noctis drifted from his mind, a wonderful reprieve from the near constant anxiety Prompto had been feeling the past two months. But as he walked up the stairs to his bedroom that night, they resurfaced with a vengeance.

“Tomorrow,” Prompto told himself, crashing down onto his bed. “I’ll tell him tomorrow.”

***

The next day started with a bit of a disaster.

It started with Prompto’s training session with Cor at five in the morning. Prompto was used to the early morning workouts and had tumbled out of bed with minimal complaining. They went into the garage they’d converted into a gym, warmed up, and sparred.

They always enjoyed the sparring sessions, even if Prompto hated the obnoxiously early hour. But this time Prompto was honestly exhausted; he’d ended up staying awake till two in the morning finishing homework the last two nights after staying out late with Noct.

Which was why, when Cor swung his right hook at Prompto, he was too out of it to dodge in time.

One concussion check and multiple ice packs later, Prompto and Cor were sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast.

“We’re out of potions,” Cor said, searching through their medkit. “I only have an elixir and I don’t want to waste it on a black eye.”

“Great,” Prompto said, rubbing his throbbing head. “Guess I’ll just have to explain to Noct why my Dad punched me in the face at the butt crack of dawn.”

“He’s had his fair share of shiners, believe me,” Cor said, putting the medkit away. “Ask him if he has any concealer. You’d be surprised at the number of times it’s been necessary with Gladio training him.”

Prompto chuckled. “I believe it.”

“Wear a hat on the way in or something,” Cor said, sitting down to eat the half-burnt omelet he’d made for breakfast. He grimaced as he took a bite; he’d burnt their breakfast while searching the kitchen and garage for a potion. “And if you have any dizziness or nausea--”

“Call you, then go to the nurse's office,” Prompto finished, smiling. “Got it.”

“Good,” Cor said, face twisting in disgust as took another bite. “What does it say about my parenting that we’ve had to deal with so many concussions?”

“I don’t know,” Prompto smirked playfully. “I mean, you did kinda break my arm--”

Cor straightened defensively. “That was not my fault. I’ve told you over and over--”

“I said I wasn’t ready, but you let go anyway--” Prompto interjected, talking over him.

“—it’s a classic teaching technique. Parents through the ages have been using it to teach their kids how to ride a bike. You would have been fine if you had just turned away from the garbage cans like I told you to.” Cor threw a napkin at him.

“I’m pretty sure most parents don’t tackle their kids to keep them from crashing,” Prompto chuckled, remembering Cor’s panicked expression.

Cor coughed and glanced away. “I tripped.”

“You did not! You’re Cor the Immortal. You don’t trip,” Prompto rolled his eyes. He gestured wildly at Cor with his spoon.

The omelets weren’t salvageable. They continued arguing as they washed up, black eye forgotten and the headache eased to a small ache.

Prompto didn’t think much about it until he reached the school gates and dashed forward to catch up to Noctis.

“Did someone hit you?!” Noctis asked in alarm. He grabbed Prompto’s shoulder and dragged him closer for inspection.

“Dude, relax,” Prompto said, taken aback by the prince’s reaction. “It was an accident--”

“Allow me to see, if you would,” Ignis said, climbing out of the car. Several cars waiting to drop off students honked, but a quailing glance from Ignis silenced them. “Does your head hurt?”

“That’s totally from a punch,” Noctis said, body quivering with restless energy. “Who did that to you?”

Debating the merits of trying to brush it off or tell the truth, Prompto hesitated just a moment. The truth was the best policy, right? “My dad and I were fighting this morning, and I didn’t dodge in time. It was totally my bad. It’s not a big deal--”

But judging by Noctis’ horrified expression, it was. His word choice hadn’t helped him either. “Prompto--”

“I see,” Ignis said, adjusting his glances. “Has this happened often?”

“It wasn’t fighting—we were sparring--” Prompto cut himself off quickly at the darkening expressions on their faces. “But not that often at all! My dad’s awesome, so he usually catches himself.

But I was tired, and I stayed up late and he’s freakishly fast--”

Noctis and Ignis exchanged glances.

“Why don’t you go along to class now,” Ignis suggested, glancing at his watch. “We can continue this discussion later. I’m assuming you have plans to have Prompto over after school?”

Noctis nodded vigorously.

“Good,” Ignis stared down at Prompto for a moment longer, before returning to the car. “We’ll continue this discussion then.”

Slapping his forehead and wincing, Prompto followed Noctis to class trying to do damage control.

***

He reworded the text over fifteen times, before settling with: “Noct, Ignis, and Gladio think you’re abusing me.”

He’d quickly added: “Not you, my dad. Who they don’t know is you.”

The response back didn’t take long. “What?”

“My mouth hates me.” Prompto texted back miserably, sighing for the umpteenth time since he’d entered Noctis’ apartment.

“Explain how this happened.” It was easy to picture Cor rubbing his forehead and looking like he was about to have an aneurysm. In about five minutes, he’d be bemoaning the fact that he was on duty and couldn’t take a much-needed drink.

His explanation was met with silence and Prompto glanced other at Ignis and Gladio, who were whispering softly about him in the kitchen. He sighed.

He wouldn’t have worried about it, but Noct had seemed really concerned. He could probably convince them it was nothing, but the thing was it would probably happen again. Injuries were relatively rare from their sparring, but Cor had been stepping up his training regimen with Prompto lately and wasn’t holding back as much. Bruises weren’t uncommon at all; it’d be pretty easy for Noctis and the others to misinterpret what was going on if he didn’t believe Prompto’s story of a training mishap.

Prompto doubted they’d let another set of bruises slide if this was their reaction to a black eye. Their concern was touching and at the same time very troublesome.

 _Maybe I should just tell them_. Prompto thought resignedly. He was pretty sure that they’d take it well. Mostly sure. Fifty-fifty, really.

Noctis, Ignis and Gladio would be the first people he ever told about his origins. Strangely, the thought was almost as exhilarating a prospect as it was terrifying.

If he told them now, it was still his choice, right? Plus, if they reacted badly Cor totally had his back.

Prompto glanced at the door, mentally calculating the distance between it and the couch he was sitting on. If he reacted fast enough, he could mak—  
expecting to happen? Despite his fears, at least Noctis and Ignis already knew about him vaguely. They already knew there was an MT going to school with Noct. They just didn’t know it was him.

Realistically, the worst thing that could happen was that Noct stopped being friends with him—which was a horrifying thought, but Cor had been right. If Noctis couldn’t accept him, did he really want to be friends?

Yes. The traitorous, people pleasing part of him answered. They don’t have to know. Not now. Not so soon.

But he doubted he’d ever truly feel ready to tell someone and Noct deserved to know from him. If they actually did call child protection services because of his black eye or did any amount of digging beyond the standard background check, they’d know.

Right. He could do this.

Mentally giving himself a pep talk, Prompto stood and hesitantly made his way over to them. “Hey, guys…? There’s something I kinda need to tell you.”

They glanced at him.

He cleared his throat and forced himself to take a deep breath. He focused on Noctis since his reaction was the one Prompto cared about the most. “Remember the first day of school, how Ignis asked if you’d met Cor’s kid?” He blurted, wincing at the wobble and the squeaky pitch of his voice.

“Err… yeah?” Noctis said, confusion written all over his face.

Oh, boy. Too late to back out now, but Prompto was regretting everything. He glanced at the door and took an unconscious step toward it. “You—you kinda did. Meet him.”

“What?” Gladio asked in confusion.

“Cor’s kid. The— the MT. You met him, the first day at school.” Prompto said, swallowing hard.

“I did?” Noctis repeated, brows furrowing. “When? I don’t remember meeting anyone like--”

“Me,” Prompto flinched as the words left his mouth, but he couldn’t let Noct finish that sentence. “So—you don’t have to call child protective services. B-because Cor. That’d be totally awkward, and— is it just me or is it really hot in here?”

Gladio seemed confused, but clear, terrible understanding flashed in Noct and Ignis’ eyes. They didn’t seem angry, just utterly and completely stunned. But that could change at any moment.

In the seconds it took for them to process what he’d said, all the horrible things he’d heard about Niffleheim and MTs flashed through his brain. He edged away from them, attention torn between them and the door.

“Prompto,” Ignis said, the picture of calm despite everything. He took a few steps forward, but when Prompto stumbled away from him he paused, eyeing the blond as if he was trying to calm a wild chocobo. “Breathe.”

Ha. Wild chocobo. Prompto ran a hand over his face and wished the room would stop spinning. Breathing, breathing would help.

Except, he was totally having a panic attack. No biggie.

“Prompto--” Noctis swallowed visibly, face paling. “Prom, you--”

“Oh, look at the time!” Prompto exclaimed breathlessly, without glancing at his watch. “I gotta—places to be, so--”

“Prompto--” Noctis sprang forward and reached out to him, but Prompto didn’t stay to decipher the look flashing in his eyes, always the most expressive part of the teen prince.

Without another word, Prompto bolted for the door and didn’t look back once.

Watching him disappear into the elevator outside of Noct’s apartment, the young prince turned to Ignis and Gladio with anguish in his eyes. “Specs,” He choked out. “I think I messed up big time.”

***

Cor didn’t bother knocking on Prompto’s door when he arrived home early from work that day. He wordlessly crossed over to Prompt’s bed and sat down at the edge, offering him an ice pack for his eye.

Accepting it gratefully, Prompto pressed it to what was probably a pretty horrendous looking black eye at this point and scooted over to make room for Cor.

Kicking off his shoes, Cor squeezed onto the bed and drew Prompto close. Being tactile with people hadn’t come naturally to Cor, but he’d adjusted for Prompto’s sake. Perhaps it was because he’d been touch starved as a baby, but Prompto had always received physical affection like a drowning man’s first gasp of air.

They were silent for a while, both staring up at the ceiling lost in their own thoughts. As usual, Prompto was the first to break the silence.

“I didn’t even wait for them to react. I just ran,” Prompto sniffed miserably, eyes stinging. “Does that make me a coward?”

“No,” Cor answered softly. He shifted slightly to look at Prompto, pride shining in his eyes. “You’re incredibly brave, Prompto. You always have been. I just wish you could see it.”

Prompto wiped futilely at his face. “You keep saying that, but I literally just ran away from my problems.”

“You think you’re the only Leonis to run away from your problems?” Cor asked, flicking Prompto’s forehead lightly. “Battles I can handle. But facing my demons? I’d face a behemoth any day.”

Prompto squeezed his eyes shut. “Tell me about it.”

“You don’t see it now, but I trust one day you will,” Cor murmured, pressing a kiss to Prompto’s forehead.

“What?” Prompto asked, sitting up.

“How very special and loved you are,” Cor answered, pushing himself off the bed.

“Trying to meet your cheesiness quota for the month?” Prompto teased weakly, inwardly trying to let the words sink in. He blew out a shaky breath and grinned, albeit a little wobbly. “You weren’t always this sappy, were you?

“No. Comes with the territory of being a dad I suppose,” Cor answered, ruffling Prompto’s hair. “Next thing you know I’ll be making dad jokes. Pizza? I feel like pizza.”

“And something sweet,” Prompto said, pulling out his favorite sweater. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a cheat day.”

Changing into grey sweatpants and pulling on his bright yellow chocobo sweater, Prompto glanced around for his school backpack before grimacing and realizing he’d left it at Noct’s apartment.

He reached for his phone and hit the power button. He’d gotten around thirty text messages from Noct and half a dozen phone calls since he’d run out. He almost read them, but shook his head. He’d deal with it tomorrow morning. Prompto honestly didn’t have the energy to handle it at the moment.

He opened the drawer in his nightstand and carefully pulled out the letter he’d received from Lady Lunafreya all those years ago. He folded it open and reread it even though he’d memorized it by heart.

Had she known when she’d asked him to befriend Noct who he was? Had she’d known all the difficulties he’d face? He hadn’t even been allowed in the same school as Noct growing up. Had it been foolish of Prompto to even try?

He reverently refolded it and put it back in its place. He sniffled and rubbed his nose.

“Wanna rent a movie?” Prompto asked as he jogged down the stairs to the living room. He grabbed all the blankets and pillows he could hold from one of the hallway closets.

“Sure,” Cor answered, looking up the number for their favorite pizza in the overcrowded refrigerator. “Your pick.”

“Yes!” Prompto crowed, dropping the pile of pillows and blankets onto the couch. He grabbed the remote and eagerly turned on the TV to check and see what was available on demand.

Cor put the order in and helped arrange everything on the couch until Prompto was satisfied with the nest he’d created. For once, they didn’t argue over the movie and simply settled in to wait for the food.

They were in the middle of discussing the finer points of King’s Knights when the doorbell rang.

“That was fast,” Cor said, untangling himself from all the blankets and walking over to the door. He peered through the peephole and stiffened. He glanced at Prompto before opening the door and crossing his arms. “Prince Noctis.”

Prompto froze, face draining of color.

“You’re—actually here,” Noctis said, sounding surprised. “I—I need to see Prompto. It’s important.”

“Really,” Cor said, blocking Noctis’ entrance into the house. “And if he doesn’t want to see you? Will you order me to stand aside?”

“No,” Noctis answered, voice low. “Just—I have to talk to him, Cor.”

He said something too low for Prompto to hear. Cor sighed, then glanced back at him questioningly.

Prompto’s first reaction was a resounding ‘heck no!’ But he would have to face Noctis sometime. And Noctis had come all the way over to his house, so that had to be… not horrible, right?

“Dad,” Prompto dug himself out of his blankets and stood, nearly tripping in the process. “I’ll talk to him.”  
Cor studied him for a minute before standing aside.

Noctis stepped in, eyes roaming the house curiously. His eyes fell on a picture of Cor and Prompto from when Prompto had still been a baby. Cor looked completely out of his depth, but

Prompto was smiling blissfully in his arms and clutching a fluffy toy chocobo.

If anything, the picture only made him seem more dejected, which wasn’t what Prompto had been expecting at all. Now that Prompto was looking, Noct’s face was pale and his expression was one of misery.

“Noct?” Prompto asked, staring at him in confusion.

Jerking at the sound of his voice, Noct turned to him. “Prompto—I… I owe you a pretty big apology.”

Prompto just blinked. That was not at all what he’d been expecting.

“I—when my Dad told me about you, I--” Noctis broke off, shame flashing across his face. “I made a snap judgment based on what I knew about MTs. And that was wrong. Those things I said in the car—it’s inexcusable. I’m so sorry, Prom.”

Sinking into the couch, Prompto sighed in sheer relief. “Oh man.”

“I understand if you can’t forgive me,” Noctis said, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know how you could stand being around me after what I said--”

“You’re not mad I didn’t tell you right away?” Prompto asked, fiddling nervously with a loose thread of yarn on one of the quilts.

“Dude,” Noctis said, inching a little closer. “Of course not. I mean, I’m glad you told me, so I know how much of a jerk I was--”

“You weren’t that bad,” Prompto said honestly. He’d heard a lot worse.

“I was! It wasn’t right and I’m sorry,” Noctis met Prompto’s eyes hopefully. “Forgive me?”

“Of course, buddy,” Prompto said honestly, offering him a timid grin. “So, you really don’t care? About me being--”

“You’re Prompto. You love chocobos, you’re a huge nerd, and you’re honestly the best friend I could hope for,” Noctis said, coming over to sit on the arm of the couch. “Nothing else matters.”

There was more to be said. A lot more. But there’d be time for it later. Tonight it was enough. They grinned at each other and fist bumped.

“Dude,” Prompto sagged down into the couch cushions with a laugh. “This was literally the most stressful day of my life.”

Noctis smacked his arm lightly. “You really freaked us out. What were you expecting?”

“Uh,” Prompto glanced at where Cor was discreetly hovering in the doorway. “I don’t even know. I was pretty sure you wouldn’t attack me, but still--”

“Prompto,” Noct’s eyes widened. He swallowed hard and after a moment his eyes softened. “Anyone who ever tries to give you trouble has to come through me first, got it? Anyone.”

“Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?” Prompto asked, chuckling. “I’d do the same for you though, prince or no.”

Noct blinked in surprise, before flashing the brightest smile Prompto had seen from him. “We good then?”

“Yeah,” Prompto said, marveling at what an awesome best friend he had. “’Course we’re good.”

“Perfect timing,” Cor said, speaking for the first time since Noctis had entered the house. “Pizza’s here.”

“You had anything yet?” Prompto asked, taking the pizza from Cor and setting it on the table.

“No, but Ignis and Gladio are waiting for me out in the car,” Noct said, straightening up. “Better not keep them waiting much longer.”

“They both came?” Prompto asked in surprise.

“Like I said, you had us worried,” Noct said, standing and stretching his back.

Prompto glanced at Cor, who cocked his head to the side. “Well, they’re welcome to join us too. We kinda have a tendency to over order.” He said, gesturing at the two family size pizzas Cor had ordered.

Noct stared at Cor a little wide-eyed for a moment before texting Ignis and Gladio to extend the invitation. “You sure you’re okay with this, Marshal?”

“Considering that you’re best friends with my son, I suppose we’ll have to get used to having you around the house,” Cor said, scratching his head. “Don’t think for an instant this means I’ll go easy on you in training, though.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Noct said, smirking slightly.

Ignis and Gladio came in a moment later, glancing around the living room with thinly veiled curiosity. Cor just rolled his eyes and offered them pizza.

“Are you alright, Prompto?” Ignis asked, settling down in one of the armchairs next to the couch. He accepted a paper plate from Cor with an arched eyebrow and a sigh.

“Yeah,” Prompto glanced at Noct, who was sitting next to him and then at Ignis and Gladio. Lastly, he looked at Cor, who was pulling out plastic cups and their stash of soft drinks in the kitchen. “I’m great.”

His friends—he was including Ignis and Gladio, since he was sure that they’d be spending a lot of time together in the future—were here. They knew, but they’d still accepted him.

It was more than he’d ever hoped for.

“Alright,” Cor said, handing Prompto the remote. “What are we going to watch?”

Taking hold of the remote, Prompto grinned broadly. If this was what it felt like to have friends, who could definitely get used to it.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm the worst at titles, so I used Uneven Odds by Sleeping at Last. I'm not sure it fits, but I couldn't think of anything else :P


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